I’m a sucker for love.
My favorite Christmas movie is Love Actually. I’ve been in love a few times myself. (Even if, as I’ve long suspected, I’m not exactly the best at it.) And I absolutely dig “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” by The Darkness.
So I think that all makes me uniquely gifted to review Harley Quinn Romances, DC’s annual Valentine’s Day celebration. But this is no ordinary review, no; we’ll look at each tale as if it were some phase or corresponding “variety” of relationship. Why? Because love is about being daring and open! And if it works, maybe we’ll have a solid lens with which to explore these holiday-themed releases, one-off storytelling, and cultivating more in-depth lives for our favorite heroes and baddies.
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!
“Stranger Than Fiction”
Writer: Alexis Quasarano
Artist: Max Sarin
Colorist: Marissa Louise
Letteter: Taylor Esposito
This whole story is basically a couple’s first big fight. I’m not talking, like, which way the toilet paper hangs, but whether they want to have kids or not. Because, sure, some of it’s awkward — the framing of Harley and Poison Ivy running a caper to steal a special blooming flower while Harley reads fanfic she wrote isn’t always so smooth. (And it raises the question, maybe an Inception-free approach would’ve been easier?) But it’s nonetheless charming; Max Sarin and Marissa Louise’s art is cutesy and compelling, and the moments where the couple really connect are deeply warming. And, like any good fight, the moments of weirdness don’t ruin all those great insights and revelations.
“Here’s To Jack, Here’s To Molly”
Writer: Zipporah Smith
Artist: Will Robson
Colorist: Andrew Dalhouse
Letterer: Steve Wands
Batman doesn’t need love… or does he? We won’t settle that debate today, but this story does offer a cutesy, generally heartwarming reminder of why Batman does what he does: for the good and honest people of Gotham. More specifically, fiancees Jack and Molly, whom the Dark Knight has to save from the Red Bomber — only to actually save himself while remembering his commitment to everyday superheroism. Will Robson and Andrew Dalhouse’s art has a really early ’90s vibe, which makes the cheesy undertones work all that much better. In the end, this story feels like that quiet, unplanned moment in a relationship where you remember why you work, and what you’re really capable of with a little tenderness and devotion.
“Power Girl and All-American Boy”
Writer: Amanda Deibert
Artist: Adriana Melo
Colorist: John Kalisz
Letteter: Becca Carey
This whole thing felt like a missed connection. Or, a great first date that you know has no future before it’s even ended. Not only because that’s actually what happens between Power Girl and Jimmy Olsen, but the story itself was resigned to its fate. Sure, ther’s plenty of cutesy moments — writer Amanda Deibert is great in this niche — and the art (from Adriana Melo and John Kalisz) also had the perfect, cheesiness-fostering ’90s vibe. But the whole lesson — sometimes love doesn’t work out — falls flat when there was so much other evidence that love can work out if you’re g-d Power Girl. Don’t fret too hard: sometimes it’s the heartache that offers the truest lessons.
“Grace”
Writer: Frank Allen
Artist: John McCrea
Colorist: Mike Spicer
Letteter: Becca Carey
In case you forgot love isn’t just about romance, this story slides a heaping helping of the platonic variety. I don’t want to spoil too much — that “twist” at the end will absolutely shatter your heart — but it involves John Constantine helping an old friend with unrequited love. The lynchpin, though, is Mike McCrea’s art (with colors from Mike Spicer); it brims with the grit and sorrow of his stuff on Hitman and thus makes all the difference in this equally uplifting and depressive tale. I love that we’re seeing the many shades of love here, and the overall depth and nuance that accompanies it. This is a true beating heart for the book, and why holiday editions often smack.
“Dating App Disaster”
Writer: Raphael Draccon and Carolina Munhoz
Artist: Ig Guara
Colorist: Ivan Plascencia
Letterer: Becca Carey
Like the ”Grace” story, this one was all about platonic love. And sure, it had a lot of things going for it, like the generally charming character designs and generally robust coloring (courtesy of Ig Guara and Ivan Plascencia) that made the world feel dynamic. Even the whole superhero dating app idea felt quaint. But the rest of — the slightly inorganic Fire-Ice friendship, the overly hokey ending — paired with coming after “Grace” just made everything feel more forced than a Natalie Portman/Ashton Kutcher rom-com. This is that long-standing friendship, where dynamics go unspoken and things are just assumed. Still, maybe if more of that history had been revealed, we’d actually felt Cupid’s arrow.
“Across The Multiverse”
Writer: Greg Lockard
Artist: Giulio Macaione
Colorist: Fabs Nocera
Letteter: Ariana Maher
We’ve all seen that couple: so in love and so in sync that it makes the rest of us feel queasy in their orbit. That’s Apollo and Midnighter, who tout their love in glorious fashion in a quick hit of a tale where the former rescues the latter. And as overbearing as their love may be, it felt like a generally compelling look into the pair, and a powerful testament to how two heroes might actually fall in love (bonding over endless violence and fighting). The art of Giulio Macaione and Fabs Nocera maybe felt a little too cheesy (Apollo looked like Cupid throughout), but it’s a mostly minor issue. Sometimes love is as overwhelming as Epoisse de Bourgogne, and that can be a good thing.
“Once Upon A Romance Novel”
Writer: Jessica Berbey
Artist: Priscilla Petraites
Colorist: Michael Atiyeh
Letteter: Saida Temofonte
OK, I loved and hated this one. Did it have the potential to be mostly poignant? Yeah, because rather than show us “Kite Man is a loser” for the 4,000th time, we got a stupid and silly look about finding self-love (perhaps even between relationships?) and the value of maintaining one’s self-worth. Even the art from Priscilla Petraites and Michael Atiyeh felt like a less zany, R. Crumb-esque take on DC, which did tons for making the story feel novel. Yet the slightly asinine ending made this more of a joke than something with actual life lessons attached. Sure, that’s mostly Kite Man’s bag, but this could have been a way to reveal some depth in an understated manner. Instead, it was an early April Fool’s joke.
“Splendor In The Foam”
Writer: Ivan Cohen
Artist: Fico Ossio
Colorist: Sebastian Cheng
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
Sometimes love affairs end on a really weird note. That’s the only way to really explain this story about how Aquaman dated members of a superhero friends group that includes Black Canary, Vixen, and Big Barda. (Or is it about how Aquaman man is a flirty little boy toy with few scruples?) Regardless, it sort of played out hokey and cheesy and a little overbearingly cutesy — including the highly-stylized art from Fico Ossio and Sebastian Cheng — but without some larger insights. (Unless, of course, it’s that Harley Quinn’s a dang rascal.) It left a bad taste in the mouth and also some uncertainty about the book’s final take on love. Maybe it’s that it’s all a game and no one ever really wins?
Final Verdict: To paraphrase that famous movie, love is a many splendored thing but it’s often weird and uneven. 6.5 out of 10; would lovingly recommend.
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